The Grand Offensive (Slash's POV)
The End is Near ... Corpus's demise is no longer imagination; it has transcended into reality. As a member of the faction's deadliest strike forces, the assassin operative Slash didn't believe he'd live to see the end. Yet here he was, rushing towards the Council chamber alongside his lifelong partner Ranger. Stronghold forces were boarding the Corpus capital flagship, the Ghost's Hand, and it was up to them and a few surviving NOVA commandos to stop them. Mission Briefing DEFCON-I, Boarding Eminent 06 : 00 December 1st, NE14 NOVA Operative Slash The Ghost's Hand --- "Attention, attention. Boarding by enemy forces on ship is eminent. Brace for impact and repel enemy presence at all cost." The ship's overcom woke Slash harshly up from his meditation. Shooting himself up, he saw his chamber was bathed in the red emergency lights. Groaning, he arose from a seated position within his levitation chamber and let himself down onto the cold floor. Immediately robot arms from the ceiling attached his signature white armor onto his body. The process was lithe and automatic; it ended with a metallic ping on his katanas clicking into the sheaths on his back. "Wake up sleepyhead, we got visitors knocking." a young but husky voice came from his earpiece. The voice on the other end was none other than his lifelong partner-in-crime Ranger. The seasoned renegade was Corpus's most feared warrior. "Va te faire enculer mon ami, what is it." Slash growled. Before Ranger could answer, the ninja's HUD finally booted up. Immediately a computer-generated picture was presented to him. At once Slash knew how grave the situation was. The Death's Hand, Corpus's capital ship and base of the NOVA Council, and her few remaining escort destroyers were besieged by a massive enemy fleet. Slash's eyes further widened as one of the larger Stronghold ships began opening fire with its plasma battery. The fiery blue particles traveled in a arc and just incinerated any Corpus destroyers they touched on the way to its final target, the flagship. "Slash man just shut up and get your French ass up -" A deafening boom, presumably from the plasma battery, knocked Slash onto his behind. "Shit, the Hand's shield was broken through and engine nearly all destroyed by that plasma battery. We're a dead target now..." spoke Ranger. Unsurprisingly, he maintained his calm and sarcastic composure. "Mon ami, I'm not going down without a fight." "Oh really? Because I just figured you'd walk out there with a white flag. Isn't that what all French people have been doing for all of his-" Insulted, Slash abruptly shut off his earpiece. He picked himself up and went into the smoke-choked corridor. As he rushed towards the combat zone past emergency personnel, wounded crew members and debris, Slash wondered if the beginning of the end had finally arrived. His earpiece once again crackled life, but a different voice came through. This one was panicked. "NOVA Operative 2, can you read?! Slash!!" It was Specs, one of Corpus' most brilliant technicians. "Here," replied Slash calmly. "I've predicted an intrusion point two levels down from you. I'm sending Momentum and Theta Red to assist." Slash scowled ever so slightly. "Can you send Anyone else? Where's Ranger?" "We need your partner in the air, maybe we could spare... Hayne?" Queasy memories of being injected with various concoctions flooded Slash's head. He swore that indigo-armored scientist was ten different types of demented, and Hayne would counter by saying "eleven" or "banana" or some random, made-up number. Hayne also had a nasty obsession with testing his chemical weapons on Slash himself. But, he was preferable to two annoying women who were most likely angsty over their boyfriend's recent deaths. "Send him," was Slash's simple reply.